Lawrence University Graduate Confirmed as New Ambassador to India

David Mulford, a 1959 graduate of Lawrence University, has been named the United States’ newest ambassador to India.

A well-known investment banker and current chairman of Credit Suisse International, Mulford was confirmed by a voice vote of the U.S. Senate this week to serve as the next American envoy to India. He replaces Robert Blackwill, who left New Delhi after a two-year term, to join the National Security Council.

Nominated for the ambassador’s post by President Bush in November, Mulford previously had served as under secretary for international affairs in the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr.

A native of Rockford, Ill., Mulford earned a Ph.D. from Oxford University after leaving Lawrence and has written two books on Africa. In 1984, Lawrence awarded Mulford an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at its commencement ceremony. A standout football player and track athlete as an undergraduate, he was inducted into Lawrence’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Before joining the government, he was the chief investment adviser to the Saudi Arabia Monetary Fund and a consultant on foreign debt issues.